I always used to wonder how the makers arrived at "Kismet" for the name for these pumps.
"Kismet" is a corruption of an Arabic/Turkish word meaning "Fate".
I'm trying to think of a relationship between destiny, flat tyres and footpumps. I'm guessing this harks back to the pre-Slime Age?
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apparently, according to a company publication celebrating 50 years of operation , William Turner - who had been long seeking a decent name for his company - attended a performance of the musical "Kismet" in London and appropriated the name.
I have restored several of the pumps. The king of them all was the Duplex Master , which can deliver 400 psi without too much strain , and was reputed to go to 500! So far I have seen the"Baby" , the "Car" , the "Lorry",the "Duplex Master" and "Junior", and the "Popular". In addition to these was the "Trolley Compressor" , one of which I have recently bought off Ebay. It is a monster weighing 30kg and having a pair of wheels and a handle.Several of the parts are very badly seized . Does anyone have any ideas as to how I can"unfreeze" them. I have tried soaking in CRC and also have used the torch - to no avail. This pump was manufactured in 1946 and I think may have been in a fire , as the remains of the washers came out in the form of a sort of gritty powder.
The other noteworthy thing about the pumps is that they all came with the famous "Renrut" ( Turner spelt backwards) connector - none better!!
Ebay frequently comes up with Kismet pumps and gauges : key in "Kismet" and wade among the musical CDs , posters , etc.
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Not a reply , more of an update : Since I lodged the original message I have completely restored the Trolley monster , having persisted in my attempts to "unfreeze " it. I have also added to the collection of Kismets with the aquisition of a " Sequel" model which is sort of between the single-stage pump and the Master. Several people have written to me asking how to go about making washers for the various pumps , and one fellow in particular did a splendid job - the pictures he sent showed a very successful washer.
Anyone wanting a real , quality pump should not waste time and money with the flimsy modern offerings , but search for a Kismet . These pumps were made to last , and it is a great shame that a company like that should have gone under (1953).
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Could any one tell me where I could buy a returne spring for a Kismet sequel foot pump. I have one which I can remember as a boy my Father bought new. I am now 52 years old. My Father was a traveling showman and used the pump to blow up lorry tyres. I still use it on my car tyres. It still works but not so good because of the broken spring. But still better than the rubbish they sell today.
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I just came across a kismet "car" and was wondering if you knew how much it is worth, and where a good place to sell it is?
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I have the Kismet Trolley Compressor made in 1946 it has been left outside for some years and became sized solid, If you turn it on it"s side and block it up the pin that you going to unsize needs a soild lump of metal both sides of the pin, leave just enought gap for the pin to pass between both lumps of metal, you will need a good quality punch abought 9" long a shade smaller than the pin , a 7 lb lump hammer a mate to assist you would be handy, if have problems blocking it up under neath you can use a short piece of thick gauged metal tube underneath the pin you will need somebody to help you to do this nodout , make sure it is all soid before you hit it. the pins are aprox half inch in die, get it all solid and hit hard they will both move. good luck with it all i did that with mine it worked well . the problem I have got is getting leather washers I am trying to make them at the moment not a lot of sucess yet . steve
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